Safe in My Arms
by ThomasLight
Summary: A young girl helps out a young boy after a coma. He is frightened by what the real world offers, but she offers him a greater hope. Pokeshipping, AshxMisty
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys, and gals, how are you doing? This is ThomasLight and I am here to write another Pokémon Coma story. I love writing these stories, especially the number of several scenarios that exists. This one is different, as though this one, there is romance. Pokeshipping romance.

Also this will have Christian theme. So just a warning, if for some reason you this offends you in any matter, turn back now.

Before I begin, just wanted to thank you EchidnaPower, for being my beta reader. Also thanking God for saving me. So for without further ado, let's begin.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, it is own by the Game Freak company along with Nintendo.

Chapter 1: Awake

In the hospital of Viridian City, a number of patients, both humans and Pokémon alike, go in and out each day. Every hour patients would enter and exit, and would either get to witness the miracle of life, or the bitterness of death. However on the fourth floor in the east wing, is an area dedicated solely for coma patients. In one particular room, a young teenage girl was sitting in a chair next to a young teenage boy, unconscious in his bed.

The young teenage girl with near shoulder length red hair, sea green eyes, wearing a baby blue long sleeved shirt and blue capri pants, was reading the Bible. She took a moment to glance at the young man and smiled a little before reading on. Who knew that God would use a tragic incident to change her life forever, along with the fact that she was slowly starting to care more for him each day. She looked back once more and smoothed the side of the unresponsive boy's hair. She then looked at the calendar on the side of the table and smiled as a few tears began to leak from her eyes. "Happy third Anniversary Ash. I know you'll wake up one day. I just hope that it might be today, if not then it will be in God's time and will when you do."

She remembered how it all began. She was running after Ash after he stole her bike. A storm was coming out of nowhere and she decided to hide underneath the trees. She ran from tree to tree trying to avoid the rain, when suddenly lightning struck the ground and a blinding yellow light flashed around the whole surrounding area. She kept moving until the storm finally subsided as the rain became nothing more than a slight drizzle. When she finally reached the area that the lightning had struck, she was shocked at what she saw.

There was a large number of Spearow on the ground, literally fried to death, as she scanned the area further she saw her bike lying on the ground, or rather what was left of it, there was also a Pikachu with partly burnt fur next to the charred remains of her bike. And a few feet away from the Pikachu, was the young boy who had stolen her bike, completely knocked out.

She rushed over to check on him and she found a large cut on the side of his head, and his heartbeat was very faint. She began shouting for help, trying her best to assure the young boy that everything would be alright. She kept shouting until someone saw them on the side of the road, and once that person came over and saw what had happened, he called the ambulance and police.

To this day, police and researchers alike, are still in disbelief at what happened. A single Pokémon had taken out an innumerable amount of Spearow, but at the cost of its own life. Misty was questioned over what happened, during that time she learned that the Pikachu had died from the lightning strike. She had always assumed electric-type Pokémon could withstand an electrically-based assault; however, after some research on her part, she learned that the lightning strike that had struck Pikachu was too powerful for it to handle, effectively killing it. The Pikachu did a noble deed in protecting its trainer, but at the cost of its life. More questions and comments from the police left Misty exhausted.

She soon met the boy's mother who near heartbreak over the situation. She loved her son dearly and wanted to make sure he would be alright, but the doctors told her he was suffering from a coma. She told the doctors that she would willing to help in any way to help him wake up and make sure he was healthy. Misty found the boy's mother to be very lovable and kind. However, her husband, or rather, her near ex-husband was a different story.

Terry Ketchum was a cold man. He couldn't have cared less about his son's safety or what had happened to him. In fact he began to blame his son for everything, from his coma to even his very existence. He even suggested pulling the plug on his son's life support and ending his life. His wife refuted that idea completely. Misty would sometimes hear how he was happy without the boy, that he resented the fact he existed at all. Why the boy's mother stayed with her husband was a mystery. He called Ash an accident, which shocked her. After hearing another argument between Delia and Terry, the hospital staff insisted Terry's visits be cut short. Clearly it was for the best.

About a year into Ash's coma, Misty's gym duties began suffering, she decided to resign and allow someone else to take over. Once she did, she battled on the side to earn money to help out and such, but she wanted to do more. She began to think of other ways to help out Ash in any way she could, but nothing really came to mind…that is until about six months later, when her life changed even more.

She met a deacon who was praying over Ash and found what he was doing somewhat comforting. She asked what religion he was and was surprised to find that he didn't consider himself to be in any religion. He said he was in a relationship with God, with Jesus. Misty was confused by this, she didn't have any idea what the deacon was talking about, and told him that she always thought that Arceus was "God".

It was then the deacon began to explain the truth about Arceus. Apparently Arceus was merely a Pokémon that was in charge of watching over the world, like a sort of guardian angel. But it was God who charged Arceus with that job. The truth of the matter was that God sent His son to Earth to save humanity from themselves over 2000 years ago. Jesus's purpose was to come to Earth and save humanity, and during His time on Earth he taught about giving forgiveness and loving those who were hated or ridiculed; he also taught that humans should have respect for God and what He stood for. When men went into the temple and turned it into a place to merely do business, He toppled over tables in rage and set things straight. But one day Jesus was betrayed by one of His disciples, and he was arrested and beaten for no reason. Jesus had never done anything wrong, yet He was punished anyway. The people sentenced Jesus to death on a cross, simply for speaking the truth about God and Himself.

From above, Arceus saw all these things happening and wept for Jesus, but he was comforted by God telling him that everything would be alright, as it was all part of His plan to save humanity from the consequences of their sins. Sure enough, three days later, Jesus rose from the dead and things changed forever. When Jesus ascended back up to Heaven after 40 more days on Earth, Arceus was placed as a guardian to watch over humanity along with many of God's other angels, which he does to this day.

Misty was stunned by what she'd heard, and once the story was over, the deacon smiled and left the room. Misty decided she wanted to learn more God and Jesus, and so she purchased a Bible and began to learn more about the history of God through His Word. The more she read, the more she realized she had a greater purpose in life and hope that things would eventually change for the better. With that in mind, Misty happily accepted Christ into her heart as her Savior. She began receiving donations to help Ash. She also continued to battle, but she now also entered in small tournaments and asked charities to help out Delia.

Ash's mother was pleasantly surprised by the help Misty was giving her and Ash, and gratefully accepted her charity. Delia for her part continued to do her best to help out her son, she would visit every day and night and caress Ash's hair and give whispers of encouragement. Misty also kept visiting, confident in God's plan and hoping that that plan involved Ash's awakening.

_Within the coma_

Ash was facing his last opponent, who for some reason had nothing but Legendary Pokémon; however, the young trainer was prepared for anything, in fact he was actually winning with a 3 to 1 advantage.

"Please bring out your last Pokémon." The referee instructed Ash's opponent.

The trainer, whose face was obscured from his cloak, took out his final Pokéball and tossed it. When the Pokémon appeared, Ash's jaw dropped. A stag like creature, nearly white as ivory with a gold halo on the abdominal area, stood tall and proud.

Arceus.

Ash knew he was in trouble. It would be an impossible task…but he wouldn't give up. He decided to command his Sceptile to use ExtremeSpeed…but to his horror he discovered that he suddenly wasn't able to talk. Instead he was forced to watch his Sceptile go down incredibly fast. He saw the referee talking but his voice was muffled. Ash had no clue didn't know what was going on. He then felt his hand move by itself and call out his next Pokémon. A Greninja came out of the Pokéball and stood still awaiting orders, but he still couldn't command it, as he watched his second Pokémon go down just as fast as Sceptile.

He looked around the stadium and noticed the lack of people, there was no one. No Serena, no Clemont, no Bonnie. Ash suddenly felt scared, there was something seriously wrong about this situation. Suddenly he saw his Pikachu getting ready to face Arceus. He knew what was about to happen, and he didn't want to watch it.

"Stop!" He finally found his voice, "Please stop this." He fell to his knees, he didn't want to see Pikachu get hurt facing off against an unbeatable opponent.

"Glad to see you're listening," his opponent suddenly said, "You've gone on long enough Ash. Time for you to learn the truth of all this."

Ash looked up and saw the man was approaching him. "Where's Serena?"

The man kneeled down to look Ash in the eyes, "Serena isn't here Ash. Clemont and Bonnie aren't here either. There's no one here. You might try to deny what I'm about to tell you, but hear me out."

Ash nodded and waited for his opponent to continue.

"Ash, all of this is a dream." He said, "But not just a dream, it's a coma induced dream."

The young trainer gawked at him, did this guy have a screw loose or something? "What are you talking about?"

The man sighed, "Ash, don't you find it a little strange that every Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny you've ever met look exactly the same?"

"They're all related to each other." Ash pointed out.

The man shook his head, "The odds of that are highly unlikely Ash. You know that deep down. You use them as a safety."

"Alright, let's assume all this is a dream, what about my journey?"

"Figments of places you've read in books that you want to go to and meet new people from there."

Ash for some reason knew that was partly true, but he refused to believe what he was being told and shook his head.

But the simply continued, "How about Team Rocket? We both know how violent those criminals really are, but your imagination has made them seem incompetent."

Ash, once more, knew the man had pointed out another flaw, and he suddenly felt his head beginning to hurt a little…maybe denying this man's words really was pointless.

"What about your father?"

Ash's heart nearly stopped. His memory of his father was coming to him, slowly. The abuse and name calling he now remembered was enough to make him flinch. "Why?" his voice cracked, "Why'd you have to bring him into this?"

"To remind you that Giovanni and your father are two different people, even though they may share some of the same qualities. You know that better than anyone Ash."

The man's face suddenly became known with the hood of the cloak being off and Ash noticed that he looked a lot like him. The only difference being that his hair wasn't quite as wild and untamed and his face seemed a few years older than his own as it seemed more chiseled and less child-like.

"You see Ash, I am you…the real you…the one who's currently in a coma." The older Ash said, "I tried to warn you about all of this, but you always denied it in your subconscious. I tried to use Paul as a last resort, but even that failed in the end."

Ash knew that Paul was one of the only people that had ever given him a real challenge and demonstrated a training philosophy like no one else he'd ever "met".

"I don't want to leave." Ash whimpered. "I hate the real world. It's evil."

"This fantasy world is even worse Ash. It gives you a false sense of security about everything. This journey was meant to make you stronger and wiser than you were when you started. You have matured Ash."

The young Ash was nearly brought to tears, when he suddenly felt an embrace from his older self.

"Ash, you're frightened about something aren't you? And it isn't your parents or what the real world has to offer is it?"

Ash shook his head as tears began to leak from his eyes. "Misty." He whimpered.

"Ah yes." the older man smiled sadly, "Of all of your friends, she lasted in your memories longer than the others. She was the only one that you kept thinking about all the time. You're worried about her, and you're worried that she might have found someone special."

Ash nodded an affirmative.

The older man thought for a moment before replying, "We can't be sure how she really is until we wake up and find out. Why don't we Ash?"

Ash looked at him, "How?"

"First you must let go. Let go of all of this Ash. Let go of your worries and fantasies. Be free of them. Then I will merge with you, and we'll become one."

Ash closed his eyes and began to concentrate on his true memories as a young boy. He desired to be the best, to make his mother proud, to be different from his mother, to see the world. He began to let go of his fantasy world. Then he began to feel pain, first in his head, then the rest of his body. Then he felt as if his body was rising into the air, faster and faster until…sudden darkness. Ash tried opening his eyes slowly, and after his eyes adjusted to the light, he noticed that he was actually looking up at a roof with lights on it.

_Back in the real world_

Having heard a noise coming from the bed, Misty laid her Bible down and was shocked to find that Ash's eyes were open and he was apparently trying to figure out where he was. She immediately rushed over to him in joy.

Ash noticed a person was coming up to him, he looked over to the person and was pleasantly surprised. He had never seen a girl this beautiful before, and yet she seemed vaguely familiar to him somehow. Her red-orange hair nearly reaching her shoulders, her sea-green eyes…and her smile. He had never seen such a beautiful smile. He thought maybe he was dead and this woman was an angel. He tried to speak, but all that came out was an incoherent mumble, "ugg...ugghh…"

The young woman, smiling and nearly in tears, spoke up, "It's okay Ash, you're awake." She said tenderly.

So he really was awake then. Now he just wanted to know who she was.

"I know you don't remember me, but my name's Misty. I found you after the storm ended, I'm gonna call a doctor in here." Misty pressed a red button that was on the side of the bed.

Ash was surprised. This beautiful young woman was Misty? How long had he been asleep? He needed to know. "M...mi...mist…" he managed to rasp out.

She looked at Ash, surprised that he wanted to speak. "Yes Ash. Misty." She began to caress his hair, then his face.

He liked how he was touching her. A gentle touch that he immediately decided he couldn't get enough of. Suddenly the doctors came in and began to work on him, maybe the real world wasn't so bad after all.

To be continued…

A/N: Well the very first chapter and I covered a lot. Now this won't update the once a week like Awakening Chronicles. This one will update at any chance that I could get. Now leave a review what you think and no flames please.

Ephesians 5:14: For anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."


	2. Chapter 2

Hello everyone, how's it going? Well guys, here is the second chapter of this story. I would like to say thanks for checking this story out. I know that the update is slow on this story, but please bear in mind that I have another story working, Awakening Chronicles: Kanto. I will do what I can to update this story the best that I can.

Before I start, just wanted to once again thanks to Echidna for helping me out. So now without further ado, let us continue.

Disclaimer: Nope don't own Pokémon.

Chapter 2: Knowing Each Other

"Hello and welcome to today's 11 AM news, I am Harrison Solo and here are today's headlines!" the middle aged news anchor turned to his left and continued, "In today's surprising news, the young teenager named Ash Ketchum has finally woken up after three years of being in a coma. We have a reporter just outside the Viridian Hospital for more details, so take it away, Julie Hart. Julie?"

Outside of the hospital, a young brunette woman with a grey suit was preparing to give her report. "Thanks Harrison. Just yesterday, the doctors informed us that the young teenager Ash Ketchum has awoken from his three year coma. For those who aren't familiar with the story, Ash was beginning his journey when he was attacked by a flock of Spearow. It was then his starter Pokémon, which happened to be a Pikachu, unleashed a vicious Thunder attack that stopped the Spearow's attack. In the process however, the starter Pokémon died immediately after using it, and the trainer himself was put into a coma after suffering a hard blow to the head. We will give you an update on his condition once we know more."

Ash was being fed some lime-green gelatin by Misty and was doing his best to enjoy the meal, but in the back of his mind, he really just wanted to leave. Unfortunately, he'd learned from his doctor that he had to regain his strength before he could go out and resume any normal, everyday, activities. At first he wasn't happy about it, and he struggled to express it due to his stuttering which he'd learned was due to years of little to no brain activity over the past few years. But there was one thing he was enjoying, and it was the young redheaded girl who was taking care of him, so it wasn't all that bad.

He smiled at Misty before opening his mouth for another bite. The young girl didn't mind helping him, she was happy he was awake with some energy. She wished he was fully recovered of course, but some things required time, and she would take advantage of that time. She was in some manner, Ash's unofficial nurse, and she really liked the thought of that. As Ash finally swallowed the last of the gelatin, she placed the dish onto a side table and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

It was then Ash made an attempt to move, but unfortunately he failed rather miserably. "M-m-m...Misty..."

She looked at the young man, "Yes?"

"C-c-could...I...hold….hand?"

She flushed a little at the timid request, but she obliged and took a gentle grasp of Ash's left hand. "How's that?"

Once he had her hand in his, he struggled to stroke it with his thumb so he could get a nice feel for it. He'd learned just that morning how Misty was the one who'd look after him from time to time while his mother went to work, and he was very grateful. "Feels...n-n-nice."

"Thanks Ash." she said with a giggle, "So what are you going to do once you're fully recovered?"

Ash thought about it for a moment, he wanted to try again, but wasn't sure what starter he would receive this time around. "I... want t-to try ag-gain."

Misty nodded, she figured that'd be his answer.

"I...want..to...be t-the best..."

"I know Ash, I know."

They looked at each other fondly for a moment, just holding hands and enjoying each other's presence. Finally the redhead broke the silence, "So...was there anything you wanted to know about me?"

Ash actually did have a few questions about his unofficial nurse, "H-h-how c-c-c-ome you're...not a g-gym leader?"

She looked down for a moment as she circled her thumb on his hand before looking back up at him, "I quit Ash, just so I could help you out."

This shocked him, "Wh-why?"

"My gym leader duties were difficult. I wanted to help out in a better way." she answered, "I'm trying to battle other trainers, it's faster raising money that way."

"Oh...what d-do you l-l-l-like to do?"

"Oh, swim around the pool, take care of Pokémon, and I like relaxing near Cerulean Lake where I can watch the sunrise and sunset. I also going out to eat." she smirked down at him, "Why, would like to go on a date with me, Ash?"

The young man blushed at what she said as he tried to think of the right words to respond to that, "I…w-w-ouldn't...mind." He then felt her hugging him.

"You're such a sweet guy Ash."

Normally Ash was shy about affection, but this display of it he didn't mind, the hug was so nice, warm and soft. He soon found himself falling asleep as he let out a yawn.

"Aww...is Ash sleepy?" she teased.

Ash nodded slightly, still relaxing in her embrace.

"Get some rest Ash, we have plenty of time to get to know each other."

A week later...

He was just starting to be able to move his hands again; he knew it was going to be a process, considering that his muscles required exercise to build their strength back up after years of inactivity. His legs were also getting back into shape, although he'd wince whenever he moved them. But as he went through his physical therapy, Misty was always there encouraging him, and that certainly helped. It was right after another therapy session which had completely exhausted his legs that he saw the redheaded girl sitting by his side with the same book she'd always had with her, one thing was for sure, his curiosity was getting the best of him. "Misty?"

"Hmm?"

"What's...written...in that book?"

Misty was surprised by Ash's question, he'd never shown any sort of interest in her Bible before, "Want me to read you something?"

He nodded.

She knew just which book of the Bible to read him. She opened to the book of Matthew and began reading the story of a young girl who'd been chosen by God to bring the Messiah to the world to save mankind from themselves. As she continued reading all the way from Jesus's birth to his sermon on the mount where he taught on what kind of people would be blessed and why. She eventually stopped at Chapter 6 as Ash appeared to be falling asleep.

"Thanks...Misty." Ash smiled wearily.

"You're welcome." She replied.

As he drifted into sleep, the young girl began to smooth his hair to the side. She cared for him deeply and hoped that she would be able to read him more stories from Matthew. There was still a greater message of being strong and courageous, and of redemption that needed to be told. All she could do for now though was read chapter after chapter and hope it would reach Ash's heart in a deeper way. As she noticed that the sun was setting, she got up and kissed Ash softly on his forehead before leaving the room.

As the weeks went by, Ash still had a hard time moving his legs. The doctor kept telling Ash to work on it, since it was a such a good sign he could feel his legs at all. He pointed out that in time, he would be able to walk around. Misty had come over and after his therapy session, she'd once again opened her book and continued reading to him from where she'd left off at Chapter 6. Ash was surprised by the idea of hate itself being equivalent to murder, how looking at women lustfully could count as adultery. How you were supposed to love the person that despised you, and help them out when it was needed. "Why would he say that, Misty?" He questioned.

Misty thought for a moment before answering, "This was a time when there was hatred and tension. Imagine the Romans and Jews and how they despised each other; Romans treating the Jewish people or Israelites as second citizens, while even their own Jewish people turned on each other. You see, Jesus wanted to show what love was like and how to handle things, so he stressed the idea of loving your enemies to try and get the hostile Israelites to change their ways."

"Oh...well it seems kinda hard to like someone like that." Ash responded.

"Is there someone in your life that is like that, Ash?"

Ash felt a little nervous, that someone immediately came to mind...it was his own father. He did not like him at all. His father, treating him badly. He honestly wondered how he could ever love someone like that. "I do...I just don't want to talk about it" he finally said hesitantly.

"I understand, let's continue."

As she read on, the young trainer felt a feeling of guilt slowly welling up inside of him. He wanted to believe he wasn't doing anything wrong by hating his father, yet deep in his heart he knew the truth.

Misty stopped at Chapter 12 when it looked like Ash was ready to sleep, when suddenly his mother came into the room. "Hello Ash, how are you?"

He smiled, "I'm good mom, how's work?"

She sighed for a moment, "It was a hard day. However, it was for a good cause." He nodded as Misty got up to leave, but Delia stopped her for a moment. "Thank you for taking care of my son."

She waved it off, "It was nothing. I enjoy his company."

"That's good, you take care of yourself." She hugged the young girl.

"You too." With that, Misty left.

As Delia sat on the edge of the bed, she directed her attention to her son, "So what do you want to talk about?"

Ash began to think for a moment, and then something he'd been wondering about came to mind. "Mom, where's Pikachu?"

To be continued….

A/N Yep another chapter more. It seems that it is slow his healing process, but it is getting there. Things will be tough for him in the next handful of chapter, but will essentially will make him grow stronger. So now please leave a review and no flames. Take care.

Pokeshipping thoughts: Out of all the moment, Misty had the closest to say how she felt. It could of been perfect on the Orange Islands. Think about it, the sunsets on the beach, two people. I mean sure, Ash was 11 on that time, but he could learn.

Proverbs 27:9 :The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense


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